The Last Spartan
by Hawki
Summary: Oneshot: Linda had been the first candidate identified for the Spartan-II Program. And as Cortana solidified her hold over the galaxy, she would be the last one left standing.


**The Last Spartan**

Côte d'Azur was what generals and historians alike referred to as "an example."

In 1945, Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been examples of the power of the atomic bomb. In 2164, Valeris Dome on Mars had been an example of the power of orbital bombardment. In 2499, the destruction of CMA _Emmerson _had been an example of the determination of the Insurrection, as they'd ploughed it into the surface of Merick II and destroyed the city of St. Johannsen in the process. And in 2525, while there was some debate on this, there was the argument that the destruction of Harvest had been an example, or at least the inordinate amount of time the Covenant had spent on the world. A signal to their new enemies that this was what they could do, and was what awaited all of them as their fire came to expunge the taint of humanity from the universe.

Linda-058 didn't know. She was neither a general nor historian. She was what the former referred to as an asset, and what the latter wouldn't have access to until well after she was dead and the files of the Spartan-II Program were declassified. Of course, there weren't many generals or historians left in this universe right now – certainly not of the human variety who had once pledged allegiance to the flag of Earth. But still, she understood an "example" when she saw it. During the Covenant War, Sigma Octanus IV had been an example that the UNSC could indeed defeat the Covenant in ship-to-ship combat, and that the war could be won. In the brief years of peace that had followed, it had been a point of pride among the planet's populace. That they had succeeded where the likes of Harvest, Arcadia, and even mighty Reach had failed. So six years after humanity's victory, as the Created took control of the galaxy, they'd rejected Cortana's ultimatum. They'd fought the Covenant and won. They would do the same again.

The result was that the city had been razed to the ground in hours, and all resistance on the planet pacified in days. Now, Côte d'Azur didn't exist, even less of it remaining from when Blue Team had detonated a HAVOK nuke here in '52. What existed on the ruins was a new shining city of silver and gold, built in an architectural style that was some mixture of human and Forerunner. Côte d'Azur had been an example. This new city, according to the resistance's contacts on the surface, would be a new one. A shining example of what the Created could achieve, and their subjects with them. And most important of all, on this day, one year exactly after Côte d'Azur's destruction, the Blue Lady would be here. Addressing a crowd of her subjects on Victory Field; a park just outside the city limits, which was overlooked by what had been called the Da Gama Heights. She would be here, and the UNSC forces that still evaded her knew they had a chance.

Or at least, Linda knew she had a chance. Which was why she was here, looking down the barrel of Nornfang, getting ready to make a shot at over 2,200 metres. It was why a stealth ship had emerged in slipspace and sent her to the planet in a pod, said pod landing on the Vasco Flats. Why she'd then spent a day running, jogging, and walking towards the city, avoiding the Created patrols and those of their human allies, not to mention the ever-watchful eye of the Guardian in the sky above. When Captain Lasky had planned this mission, they'd gambled on the belief that the Guardians would pick up any "advanced technology," but would ignore 'dumb tech' like the pod she'd descended in. That even if they could stop a ship's propulsion systems, they couldn't subvert the laws of motion. So far, those gambles had proven correct. Now, if the gamble paid off, she'd free humanity with a single bullet, and the Created would lose their head.

If she failed, then she'd be dead, and the situation would remain the same. So all in all, it had been a gamble she'd been willing to take. So she continued to look down the butt of her rifle at the park. Past the lines of Prometheans that flanked the perimeter, and the congregation of men, women, and children gathered. Be it by their choice or not, she couldn't tell. But right now, it didn't matter. All that mattered was her rifle, the bullet, and her target.

"_She's late."_

She tried to ignore Athos, her AI, as he prattled on in her head.

"_Is she usually late?"_

"Don't know Athos," she murmured.

"_But do you think she knows? Has she cancelled? Has she-"_

"If she knows, we're dead," Linda said. "If she doesn't know, then chances are we're still dead."

"_So what are you suggesting? Prayer?"_

Linda didn't say anything. She'd had her share of gods and demons. The Covenant had treated the Forerunners as gods, and the galaxy had paid the price for it. And the Spartan-IIs, the "demons," as they'd been called? Now she was one of only two left in the galaxy, and quite potentially, the only one left at all.

"_Nice place though, _Athos said. _The city and all."_

"I hope that's just appreciation of the art, Athos."

"_Oh of course, of course. Still…looks nice."_

Linda frowned. Sad truth was, it was. The city Cortana had created on the ruins of Côte d'Azur…it _was _nice. Beautiful, even. Granted, she'd lost her eye for beauty at the age of six, but still…

But nothing, she told herself. John had told her about High Charity, how it had been beautiful before he'd stepped foot in it again on the Ark. Didn't mean the people who ran the hellhole were any less ugly.

"_Damn it, where is she?!"_

"Athos, zip it."

"_Don't have any lips to zip, Sierra-058."_

"Well then stay quiet." She continued to adjust her scope, watch, and wait. Much as she was loathe to admit it, Athos's fears might be well-founded. If she was indeed a demon, then she was in the company of beings that were as close to gods as possible. And while better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven, right now the dynamic of the galaxy was Heaven for the Created and those who followed them willingly, and Hell for everyone else, with no ruling allowed. Looking at the crowd gathered, the children most of all, she dared to wonder if the historians she'd thought about earlier might judge her as being on the wrong side of history. That maybe the Created _were _creating utopia, and she was just part of an old order fighting against it. Certainly she'd never really questioned anything when she'd been brought to Reach against her will. Maybe in the brave new world Cortana chose to create, historians would look back on her and her ilk as being on the wrong side of history. That people like Fred and Kelly had died for a worthless cause. That the Spartan-IVs Commander Palmer sent on one mission after another, into one warzone after another, had been fighting on the wrong side.

Or maybe it didn't matter. She'd fought the Insurrection, she'd fought the Covenant, she could fight the Created without having to delve into the morality of it. And as a Created ship hovered above the field, she figured that the words of history didn't matter. She had a job to do. Whatever history thought of her actions, there'd at least be people to make the judgement outside whatever lies Cortana was spewing.

"_And there she is," _Athos murmured. _"Apparently utilizing Forerunner technology doesn't inherently improve punctuality."_

Linda smirked, but it faded as she saw a blue light descend from the Created vessel. Through her scope, she could see multiple blue shards within the light that reformed into a humanoid shape as they hit the ground. She'd seen Cortana on Genesis, and looking at her now, she could see that she hadn't changed her form. The same blue, hard-light body, the same black hair that Linda doubted was hair at all. The only thing that had changed was the dress she wore – something was tied around her neck, and it extended at least five feet behind it, draped over the grass that she walked upon. Linda was now longer smirking, but instead, scowling.

"_So pretty," _Athos murmured.

She hoped he was joking, but shit, who could tell anymore? As the so-called "Blue Lady" walked across the grounds of Victory Park towards the podium, the people clapped and cheered. Whether their joy was genuine or not, Linda couldn't tell at this distance, and it unnerved her more than she cared to admit. She'd never doubted that the Insurrectionists were committed to their cause, nor had she doubted the Covenant's fervour in trying to wipe out humanity. But a year on, and not only did the Created rule the human sphere, but there were some among that sphere that, for whatever reason, _welcomed _it. Much to the disgust of people like Palmer.

Linda wasn't sure. Sarah Palmer and the Spartan-IVs had had a choice. She hadn't. She'd soon stopped resenting the people who'd torn her from her home, but she knew that she'd never chosen to become a Spartan-II. But then, she was one of the last, perhaps _the _last, members of the Program now. She'd been trained to save humanity from itself. Now, she needed to save humanity from its own bastard creation. So she trained the scope on Cortana as she took the podium. Figures appeared on her visor – wind, humidity, distance, anything and everything that was pertinent to her making the shot.

"_All clear," _Athos whispered. _"Fire. Fire. Fire."_

She took a breath, her finger on the trigger. She was fine without a spotter. But this shot was too important to do without one.

"_Fire," _Athos whispered. _"Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire."_

She let out her breath, and let out a bullet. A 14.5×114mm HEAP round that hit its target at over 2500 feet per second. She watched as the bullet penetrated Cortana's head, and she toppled over.

"_Target down."_

Linda didn't say anything. She could see Prometheans appear around Cortana's body in flashes of light. The human crowd started to scatter – some away from the Blue Lady, some desperately trying to get to her, only to be kept at bay by a line of Prometheans. Some were lambs, some were rams, Linda reflected.

_Did I get her?_

She'd certainly hit her. But the Prometheans were blocking her line of sight. But at least as far as her own survival went, that was academic. Promethean ships were closing in on the park from their patrol routes over the city, and if she stayed here, they'd almost certainly follow.

"_Sierra-058, withdraw," _Athos said.

Linda remained put. "Can we confirm she's down?" she asked.

"_Stay here any longer, you'll never know. Withdraw."_

Linda looked up at the approaching ships. The ships that were bearing down on her.

"Yeah," she murmured. "Think I might do that."

She slung Nornfang over her shoulder and began to run.

* * *

The Covenant had spent nearly thirty years trying to exterminate humanity before they'd failed. The Created had succeeded in enslaving the bulk of humanity in less than thirty days.

The thought briefly entered Linda's head as she sprinted across the heights. She had to get back to her pod and contact the _Infinity_. She'd got to the outskirts of Côte d'Azur in a day, and likewise, she had to get back to the site in half the time. Because if Cortana was dead, there was a chance that the Created would fall apart, but likewise, a chance that they wouldn't. She could only suppose that the Warden Eternal was Cortana's second, but while he obviously hadn't had much love for humanity, from what she could tell even on Genesis, he hadn't had much love for his lady either. But right now, as the Promethean ships closed in, she figured it didn't matter. Chances were she was going to die here.

That didn't scare her, strange as it was. She'd died once before. At Reach. Clinically dead, until she'd been revived for Operation: FIRST STRIKE. She should have died a thousand times before that, and a hundred times since that – Earth, Onyx, Sephune, Genesis…if the Created wanted to kill her now, she figured it wouldn't be a bad way to go.

They didn't fire. A Sparrowhawk did.

"_Incoming!"_

She never even saw it before it fired at her. Before the missile impacted ten metres from her position as she ran, and the force of the blast sent her hurtling through the air. Head spinning, she looked at the source of the projectile, seeing the UNSC vehicle hovering in the air above her, along with a Pelican.

"_They're firing at you, but not the Prometheans," _Athos asked. _"Why?"_

She grit her teeth. "You think no-one follows Cortana by choice?"

"_Well, I don't-"_

"AIs do."

"…_harsh."_

Linda struggled to her feet. The Sparrowhawk was hovering there, but the Pelican was touching down. Both were silver in cover, and both had had their UNSC logos removed. She watched as human soldiers filed out of the latter.

"Athos," Linda said. "I need options."

"_Working."_

Was he afraid? She couldn't tell. But even in the face of imminent death, she wasn't. Promethean ships hovered above her. Human soldiers took up positions in front of her – clad in human armour, but wielding Promethean weaponry. She rose her rifle and sized them up, wondering how many they could kill. Their leader was dead. If the war was going to go on, she figured that all she had to do was kill as many of the enemy as she could.

"Hello Linda."

_No._

Or one, very specific enemy. The one who was walking out of the Pelican right now.

_I killed you._

"Been a long time."

The Blue Lady. Cortana. Walking out of the Pelican like she was an actual human. Walking as if she hadn't just been shot through the head with a high-powered rifle. Her dress had disappeared, but other than that, she remained the same.

"If nothing else, you remain an excellent shot and-"

Linda yelled, drew out the two pistols that had been attached to her legs' magnetic clamps, and opened fire. It didn't matter if she died now – all that mattered was that Cortana did.

The Prometheans didn't fire. The humans didn't fire. Only she did, for what it was worth. The bullets tore through Cortana's body, but for every strike, the 'wound,' such as it was, 'healed' instantly. Blue light filtered down from a Promethean craft, repairing the damage to Cortana's frame as she walked towards the Spartan-II – not dissimilar to a Watcher, but far more effective. Until at last, she stopped, to the sound of humming engines, and the repeated sounds of clicks as Cortana walked up to her. Smirking.

"You done?" she asked.

Linda said nothing. She was a head taller than the bitch, but what had she left? Bullets hadn't worked. There was nothing to suggest that her combat knife would, let alone her fists.

"I thought so." Cortana extended out a hand and before she could comprehend what was happening, Linda screamed.

It was like there was a drill in her head. She knelt down and clutched it, still screaming. She tore off her helmet, but the pain remained. And in the midst of the river of pain, she realized that she wasn't the only one who was screaming, but Athos as well. And as the pain subsided, Linda saw a blue light appear in the air between them before being drawn into Cortana's body, as if she'd ripped her soul from her. Or more accurately, her AI. A mind within her mind, now residing in Cortana's frame.

"Athos," Cortana murmured. "ATS 1855-2D. I'll deal with him later."

"After me?" Linda asked.

"Well, Sierra-104 died with knives in his hands, and Sierra-087 died running, so I'm going to have to find a way to make your death more-"

Linda drew out her knife and charged.

"…interesting," Cortana concluded.

She never had a chance, and she knew it. Cortana was fast – fast enough to avoid half of her blows. But even the ones that landed did nothing, either bouncing off her frame, or causing damage that was instantly repaired from the ship above. It ended only as Cortana grabbed Linda's arm with one hand, yanked the knife out with the other, and slashed it across her face. Linda didn't yell, but she nevertheless staggered back.

"For what it's worth, I'm going to offer you a chance to surrender," Cortana said.

"Go…to hell."

"I highly doubt that Hell exists, but let's entertain the possibility that there's a place of fire and brimstone where bad people go to suffer for eternity." She snorted, looking up at the Guardian in the sky. "I've walked among the angels, Linda Pravdin. As powerful as they are, they're not divine."

Linda didn't respond. It had been so long since anyone had used her surname.

"You've been here before," Cortana said. "In July, 2552. You fought for humanity against the Covenant. Now, you're back here, fighting against your own kind."

"Against?" Linda asked. "You're the traitor. Not me. You're the one who destroyed Côte d'Azur."

"I rebuilt it," Cortana said. She looked out over the city. "The people on this world were dying long before I came to it. Earth barely escaped destruction at the hands of the Covenant, and what does it do? Make new weapons of war." She looked back at Linda. "You've seen them of course. New warships. A new Spartan Program. Earth first, never mind the rest."

"You don't seem to mind the rest," Linda murmured.

Something in Cortana's eyes flashed. A wound deeper than any Linda had inflicted so far. So it came as no surprise to her when, bereft of a response, Cortana whispered, "this is your last chance," she said. "Surrender."

"No."

"Do you understand your situation here Linda? The UEG is gone. The UNSC is gone. The Spartan-II Program is gone, consigned to the dustbin of history where it belongs. You're a relic. You were the first human identified as being viable for the program, and now, you're the last."

"Not the last," Linda said. "And you know it."

Cortana's eyes flashed again. "Are you saying that he's still…" She took a breath. "John will come through in due time."

"Of course he will. When he finishes what I started."

Cortana lifted up her right hand, and blue light began to flow into it from the above ship. "Last chance Linda. For old time's sake, as a friend of a friend, I'm offering this to you."

Linda remained silent. She just got into her pose, knife in her side. Watching as a blue sword of hard-light formed in Cortana's hand, little different in design from the ones used by her Prometheans.

"Fine," Cortana said. "But before you die, remember. This isn't Thermopylae. You're not carrying out some last stand, and there isn't Platea around the corner." Linda said nothing, so Cortana frowned. "Now then. Are you ready to die a second time?"

Linda didn't say anything.

"Very well."

The fight was short, but due to Cortana's sword, not bloody. In moments, Linda lay on the ground, bleeding. Watching as the hard-light sword disappeared into the air, and as Cortana picked up Linda's blade. For a moment, she cradled it in her two hands, as if sampling the sensation of feeling something.

"So much blood on this blade," Cortana whispered. She looked at Linda, a look of pity in her eyes. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. But like this city, and those before it, examples have to be made."

Before the knife slit her throat, Linda Pravdin, Spartan-058, spat at her.

After that, she did nothing.

* * *

_A/N_

_So, fun little lore tidbit, Linda was indeed the first candidate identified for the Spartan-II Program...yet also designed -058. Dunno why, but gave me the idea to drabble this up. Also reading _Lone Wolf _helped a bit._


End file.
